Wednesday, January 15, 2014

You know what really grinds my gears? Well, a lot of things these days, but today, it's those people who enter ALL THE GIVEAWAYS, even going so far as to create Twitter accounts solely for the purpose of fulfilling the "Tweet for an extra entry" option on Rafflecopter forms.

*Side note* I freely admit that I used to enter a ton of giveaways before I started blogging myself -- and even some after I'd been blogging for awhile. But I usually try to enter giveaways just for books I really want these days. I ended up winning quite a few books in the beginning, some that I wasn't as stoked for as I should have been, and I'm still trying to find time to get to them. But these books never made it to my own giveaway shelf because I feel a sense of obligation to read them since I won them. Once I've read them, though, they're fair game.

Anyway, aside from the essentially fake Twitter giveaway accounts -- which, let's face it, completely defeat the purpose of those extra entries -- it also irks me when I see people obviously not following directions or not completing the entries but clicking submit as if they did. I only spot check entries, but I do check every single entry for someone who Rafflecopter selected as a winner, and if I see any falsified entries, that person is immediately disqualified, and I remove all entries attributed to them.

Giveaways are making me kind of pissy these days. I think that only about one in ten -- maybe less than that, I'm just guessing here -- of the giveaways I host here are sponsored. Meaning that I spend my own hard-earned cash to provide most of the books I offer up for giveaways, and on top of that, I have to pay shipping, too, if I'm not ordering from The Book Depository for someone. (And honestly, I dislike that option because I like knowing a book make it safe and sound to the winner.) Guys, I'm a little afraid to admit this -- and Heaven forbid if my husband should find out! -- but I spent over $400 on giveaway prizes and shipping last year alone. That is some serious cash, y'all.

So, it's really disheartening when I see that most of the people who enter my giveaways aren't people who normally stop by and comment or chat with me on Twitter. No, most of my entries come from giveaway bandits who want all the books. We bloggers get accused of just wanting books for free (i.e. ARCs) all the time -- Wendy at The Midnight Garden actually did a survey to determine just how much of our own money we bloggers spend...still waiting on those results, Wendy! :P -- but there are worse out there. Like the giveaway bandits.

My dad's always been fond of saying that nothing in this life is free, and at the heart of the matter, that's pretty much true. In the case of giveaways, you have to complete a few tasks in order to earn your entries. I don't think that's asking too much. But I also don't think it's asking too much for people to actually be true followers, to stop by every once in awhile when there's not a giveaway going on and just say hi, comment on a review, or just say something besides "Thanks for the giveaway." As it is, I feel like I'm only blogging for other bloggers, though maybe that's a discussion for another day.

I'm aware that I could make one of my entries a mandatory task like "comment on any review", but even so, I'd still get stock comments, no matter if I dictated that the comment should be "meaningful" or not. Plus, that would just feel like I was bribing people to leave comments, which isn't what I want either. Ideally, I'd like this blog to be a place where we can have honest discussions about books and other bookish topics, where everyone has an opinion and feels free to chime in. And I do see that when I post a discussion, I tend to get more feedback, from bloggers and regular readers alike, which just makes me want to crank more of them out for you guys.

Essentially, I want all disingenuous contact in this space to stop. I've already decided to stop posting for most of the weekly memes. And I plan to post more and more discussions instead. But I think I'm also going to take it easy on the giveaways this year, too. I had already let them dwindle toward the end of 2013, but the shipping on my Clear Your Shelf Giveaway was $30 alone, and that's not taking into account how much the 22 books that were included in the mystery boxes were worth, so it doesn't look like I'm off to a very good start this year. Though I'm sure the winners might disagree. ;0)

So, this year, I'm only going to participate in giveaway hops that really interest me and give away only the books that really have me excited and chomping at the bit to share them, and I'm going to be very particular in my entry tasks in an attempt to keep people from gaming the system. Because I do this for my love of books and my incessant need to share them with everyone. I don't do it to get more followers, and though that is considered a perk, it's only true if they're real followers, the kind who like to interact and don't just delete your new post email as soon as it pops up in their inbox.

Well, I feel better having gotten that off my chest. But I still feel like this post could alternately be titled "Do I Look Like a Chump to You?" *big sigh*

I can't believe you spent $400 on giveaways last year! It's so sad that here you are being so generous and lovely and people are just trying to take advantage...I feel so sorry :( Its good that you're going to be cutting down giveaways now $400 out of your own pocket really is too much!

Trust me, I can't either. Last year was the first that I actually kept track of it, and honestly, it was probably the year I did the most giveaways, as well. When you see a big number like that, you're kind of *forced* to take a step back and reevaluate some things. But I'm glad that most people seem to be understanding.

Wow $400? That IS some serious cash!! I didn't even know people did that Twitter thing. That's pathetic and greedy and really makes me want to go all Terminator :P

I only enter competitions where I'm genuinely excited about the books on offer and never enter just for the sake of winning. Because then what? If I win some book is going to end up on my shelf, never being read? It's silly.

I'm yet to host a giveaway funded solely by myself, as I'm still quite the n00b (hehe), but when I do I want it to be a treat for my loyal followers / readers. Not for a random person who saw it advertised and will probably unfollow me the minute the giveaway is over.

I think that's the worst part of it...those people who follow for a quick minute, just to win the giveaway, and then you never hear from them again. I hope my feelings don't make you reconsider hosting a giveaway of your own...they're fun and a lot of the entrants are rather nice and respectful. But there are always a few bad apples out to ruin it for everyone else. :(

I understand this...kind of too well. I originally created my twitter account because I wanted to enter giveaways. But it was more like a nudge for me. I now tweet properly and it's an awesome way to connect with my bloggerish friends. But, I do really like entering giveaways and I get ridiculously excited if I win something. :) Particularly if it's a giftcard and I can support the authors I really love by buying their books.

That's what first sent me to Twitter, too, but yeah, you end up using it like a normal person once you get the hang of it. :) I'm not an avid Twitter user or anything, but I like it and I like connecting with other readers and bloggers that way. Also, I appreciate when someone wins and is ridiculously excited about it. That's another pet peeve...when someone wins and just responds with their address and nothing else...not even a thank you.

I know exactly how you feel! I kinda hate it a little when rafflecopter chooses a winner that has never so much as commented on my blog before the giveaway. I love it when a person I know is chosen, someone who I know actually visits my blog, and not just for the giveaways. I suppose there's no way to fix it though. As long as we host giveaways there will be people who simply enter them and never bothering checking back on the blog.

I can't really think of a solid fix either, not one that wouldn't require a ton of work on my part, anyway. I hate that there will always be those people who are trying to game the system, but I don't want to stop hosting giveaways altogether.

Wow. $400? I haven't gotten that high yet, but I am certainly starting to feel your pain. I recently opened up a blog to fangirl about a series of books that I'm addicted to. I've held a couple of giveaways and noticed these "giveaway bandits" when I checked the entries. I guess I was naive to think people were actually honest with their entries. I do get a lot of the "thank you for the giveaway" comments, but I just chalked it off to the fact that my blog is brand spankin new and I don't really have a following yet. :(

I don't enter a lot of giveaways. I'm impatient and if I want a book, then I just go out and buy it.

I'm right there with you...when I want a book, I buy it. I understand that's not an option for everyone, but it would still be nice if I could guarantee that my giveaways were putting books into the hands of people who truly appreciated it. And I also always try to thank a host for a giveaway in the comments, but I also try to make sure that's not the only thing I've ever said to them.

It really blows when you're doing something nice and other people take advantage of you. It feels like such a huge letdown and makes you lose hope in humanity. In my current one, I'm giving away a signed copy of the book and yes, it would be great if we could get a guarantee that it's going to go to someone who is a die hard fan of the authors. I got lucky with my last one. The winner chosen is someone I know. I hope all of my rafflecopter giveaways turn out like that.

I love every single thing about this post. The whole giveaway crap is one of my least liked thing when it comes to blogging. It's a necessary evil though. If you don't do giveaways, you will have a low following, but then is that really a following? Because most of those people will follow just to win the goods. They don't actually read your posts. Bleh.. If only it was all about your content, and not what people can get out of you.

That being said, I'm very picky about what giveaways I enter. I don't seek them out. I usually only enter those my friends host.

Wow to spending that much last year, I would definitely hide that from the hubby. lol. Brian would kill me. No lie. But it's awesome that you put that much into your blog, and I'm sorry that people are assholes. Just so you know, if you never ever give away another book, I will still visit your blog. Because I love you. <3

I mean, I hosted a ton of giveaways in the beginning to attract new readers to the blog, but I found out early on that a lot of those weren't true followers. I don't do it to garner more followers, though...I genuinely like giving books away and sharing them, and it helps make room on my shelves for more books. :)

Yeah, Jerrod would kill me, too, if he knew. Though, his hobbies aren't cheap either, so it's not like he can REALLY complain, lol. But when I look at that number, I can't help but think about how many books that could have bought for MY SHELF, ya know? And girl, I'd much rather just share my books with you than have some giveaway bandit grab it up. :)

Dude, I know...we have testing coming up next week. Like, state-mandated crap that I thought we wouldn't have to deal with until like 2nd grade. Also, I have to get Katie's eyes checked...they think she needs glasses. :(

I totally know you don't do it for more followers. I was more or less just saying that without giveaways, gaining followers is like impossible. Which is why I should do more. I'm thinking of cleaning off my shelves a bit. They are over flowing, and after having like 5 or 6 series cover change halfway through I just started buying only kindle books. F them! I should join some giveaway hops. I never do because I never here about them until they are already live.

It's kinda good that you don't use that money towards books for your shelves. I have seen pics of your shelves woman!!! You wouldn't have room. lol. And what's with men having expensive hobbies? Brian used to work on his car all the time. he's gotten better with that though now he works on the house. but that' expensive too! So he can't complain when I buy a book or two... or three! lol

Omg, Aubs testing for her second marking period grades is next week. They sent home a list of all the things she needs to know. Now we live in the northeast so if you have been following at all we've had cold temps and nasty weather. Ice and snow. This is the first full week she's had of school since the beginning of December. So am I supposed to have taught her all this shit? I'm trying not to stress. lol

Awww, Well glasses aren't too bad. I'm waiting, I'm sure Aubrey will be pulled aside for that at some point. As of right now she shows no signs of it, but both Brian and I have, so I"m sure she will too.

So much agreement Jen! I was actually complaining to my mom about this yesterday, about how after almost 2 years of giveaways I don't think more than like a couple times total did someone win who I knew or talked to before. It's not a huge deal but sometimes it makes me sad. I had to pick winners yesterday and the first name drawn was someone who entered twice. Once under their real name and once for their blog. *sigh*

I've become like you too. I used to enter so many giveaways and had a lot of luck even. But I rarely enter anything now unless it's something I desperately want. My shelves are too full for anything else and I do feel bad if I don't get to it.

I don't even want to know how much I spent on giveaways last year. I'm going to try to scale back this year and maybe do more ebooks that are cheaper or get rid of some books I have around here that I'm done with. The prices at TBD have really gone up too and make it harder to hold giveaways.

Oh, that makes me madder than anything! Cheaters are the worst! And it's not like I only want my friends to win...I'd just like to see people who are excited about the books win. When they're entering every giveaway known to man, I don't see excitement, I see greed.

Yeah, I pretty much only enter for ARCs that I couldn't get myself or signed editions of books I really loved. My shelves are also very full, even after my recent culling, and my carts at various eretailers are also always full, waiting for me to click that purchase button. ;)

I've noticed that the prices EVERYWHERE have gone up. I remember being able to get a HC for between $10-$11 at B&N and Amazon, but they're all upwards of $15 now. It used to make sense to order online and save those extra dollars even if I couldn't get it on release day, but now, I'd almost rather just wait till the day of and go purchase it in a brick and mortar store.

I'm with you Jen. I do a lot of giveaways because I just love sharing books...esp if I have an arc that I don't want to keep. I love the idea of it going to someone that has REALLY been wanting it. My husband told me I should figure out how much I spent last year on giveaways but I'm too scared. I know it'll make my heart hurt because I'm sure I could have used that money on something a tad more important.

I've done two giveaways so far this year and I have a twitter one going now. I can't seem to stop myself! One of mine was sponsored (thank goodness).

I've told myself that I'll stop doing so many this year (and you know I've dropped memes too) I've not done any hops and I honestly don't really plan too. If I do a giveaway it'll be along with an interview or a twitter giveaway (US only) to give a blogger an arc I know I won't read or what not. I've found that my twitter giveaways usually only have those twitter friends/bloggers enter so most times I know who it is when I send it out. I love seeing how excited people get when getting a book. of course, I've had ungrateful people too.

I've had two folks complain about my giveaways not being international. I was appalled and hurt that people could complain about something I'm doing out of my pocket. grrr. I could go on and on about this topic.

It WAS scary tallying it all up, but my husband has no clue...at least, I hope he doesn't! :) And, yeah, that was the worst part of it all, seeing that huge amount, knowing it could have gone to other things.

I've only done two this year so far, but one of mine was sponsored, as well. And the other I used to clean off my shelf and make room for more books. But it was that one that got my blood boiling. :(

I don't really plan to do any more hops either. Except maybe the series I hosted with a couple of other bloggers over the summer. That one was too much fun and I've already been asked by a few people if I'll be hosting it again. A Twitter only giveaway does sound like it would garner more true reader entries...people who were paying attention that day and actually follow you. I've never done one of those. And my giveaways will definitely be more attuned to content, too, like with a review of the book or with an interview like you're saying.

That's terrible! I've had comments about a particular giveaway not being international, but never a true complaint. I just can't understand the rudeness of some people...if you want it that badly, go buy it yourself.

Totally agree! I've actually slowed down on my giveaways for the reasons you mentioned above. I think I've only had one giveaway where the winner was a blogger that I had interacted with before but the rest were people who I had never talked to.

I also used to enter tons of giveaways before I started blogging but I have since dialed that down to only entering the ones that I REALLY want.

I don't want everyone to think that I only want friends or fellow bloggers to win every giveaway I host. I just want to put books into the hands of people who are truly excited about them. People who really share a love of books and aren't just entering every giveaway they see for free books. I appreciate your thoughts!

Sorry to hear that something you're doing to be nice is becoming such a hassle. Thanks... from a reader.. for being so generous! Ummm... I don't have a blog, don't want one and I don't have twitter or facebook either. So I know that when I enter some of the giveaways, I look like I don't want to interact. I made the decision years ago, to not enter into social media for my own personal reasons and I know that I'm missing a lot of great interaction. But then again, I really don't have the time for it and I need to keep my time priorities strict. I do comment some, but sometimes it's hard to say something "meaningful" when it seems like all I'm doing is parroting other commenters. Plus, I don't really know what "meaningful" is to you (general you... bloggers in general)... so I tend to play it safe most of the time by thanking for the review. I know that I do need to comment more, but if it's any consolation, I do subscribe by email and I read every post. I do admit that I'm guilty of entering a lot of giveaways, mainly b/c I follow a lot of blogs. But I guess I didn't realize that it's becoming such a big "behind the scenes" issue. So, I totally agree that if it's becoming more of a hassle/aggravation, totally do what you have to do to make sure that who you want to have your books get them. Maybe, with stricter guidelines, people will follow the participation/visitation expectations you have.

I totally understand not wanting a bazillion social media profiles. I hesitated to join Twitter for a long time before I actually did. And it was actually for a giveaway when I finally did join. But I don't use it solely for that purpose either. I also understand the lack of time and not being able to interact all the time. I get that...I have the same problem. But just the fact that you took the time to respond to this post is meaningful to me. I don't comment on every post on every blog I read, but I do when I feel like I have something to contribute to the conversation. And I guess I just hope that everyone else kind of does the same thing, that when I see their name come up as a winner, I'll recognize it. Or at the very least, I'll get more than just an address when I send the winner the notification email. Thanks for your comment, Erin...I really appreciate hearing thoughts from a reader's viewpoint.

I don't have the money to do giveaways, so I'm always extra thankful for the fact that other bloggers are - and that they want to share it. When I just started, I was overwhelmed by all the free books I was offered, so yes, I did make the mistake of entering all of them. I'm still ashamed by it, but I like to think it's a beginners mistake. Now a days, I only enter to win a book I really want to read (and know I will make time free to read it) and most of the times it's only on blogs it truly follow. So, hereby an apologize for the fact that I might have done the same when I just started - but I'm completely changed now. And everything you do is very appreciated :)!

No worries...I think we were all there at some point, myself included. It sounds like you've gotten it under control, though, whereas some people continue to take advantage of others' generosity. Nothing to be ashamed of. :) Thanks for your thoughts!

I'm all for not wanting to have your info all over social media, but if that's the case, maybe just don't complete entries for giveaways that include that as an option, rather than creating an account simply so that you can. The purpose of the Tweet and Facebook options is to spread the word about the giveaway, but most giveaway-only profiles have few followers/friends and defeats the purpose.

LOVE this post. I also used to be one of those people who entered almost every giveaway I could find before I started blogging but I was sincere about my entries, I posted them on my own facebook and twitter. The 'giveaway' twitter pages make me furious as well because come on, does it really hurt you that much to put ONE tweet on your page sharing that you want to win something? I also agree about the people who enter giveaways, I wish they would become real readers instead of just stopping by when the promise of something free comes along.

Thank you. It's one thing to enter a lot of giveaways if you're truly excited about the books...I was the same way when I first started and didn't have all that much to read yet. I was still kind of finding my way and just wanted to read all the books. But I still never would have created a giveaway-only profile to enter a giveaway. If I don't want everyone seeing what I've entered to win, I just don't complete that option to Tweet or post on Facebook.

I have cut down on giveaways a little, partly because -- as Sara points out -- The Book Depository has seriously jacked up their prices recently. A lot of their YA books are now $17-18. What is up with that?

I haven't had that many bad giveaway experiences. A couple of cheaters - I do check my winning entries - and one person who responded to my email telling them they'd won by just typing their address and hitting send. I mean, just the address. It was extremely weird (and kinda rude, IMO., but whatever.)

I agree that it's more fun when the winner is someone you "know" from online but I've also made new book friends through giveaways. I often get into email exchanges with my winners and sometimes we even stay in touch.

I don't know but it's not just TBD. Amazon and TBR are selling HCs for $14 and up now when they used to be around $10, so long as I preordered. This, too, has to do with why I'm cutting back.

I get that a lot...the only responding with an address, no thank you or anything else when they've been notified they won. It is very rude, but what can you do about it? Beg them to be excited that they won?

I didn't mean to imply that I wanted only friends and fellow bloggers to win every time. I'd just appreciate it if I could tell that someone who really wanted the book had won, not just some random person who only ever stops by the blog when there's a giveaway. I *wish* my winners could become friends every time, but I'm lucky if I get more than an address when they email me back. :(

I'm not strictly speaking about the daily share entry...I don't even use that for all of my giveaways. And when I do use it, it's to help spread the word about the giveaway to people who are actually interested in reading the book, not just those who enter every giveaway they see. Most giveaway-only profiles have few followers/friends and that defeats the purpose of tweeting. And the people who do follow those giveaway-only profiles usually do so in order to enter all the giveaways, too, with little regard for what's actually being given away.

I did a post about cheating on giveaways a while back and I have many of the same feelings. The shipping isn't a problem I face - I always use TBD because it's still about 1/3 to 1/2 cheaper than what I can buy at the book store here in Switzerland, and shipping my own books to the US is so expensive that I only did it once and then never again.I haven't come across the fake twitter thing all that often but I get it a lot that people don't follow the instructions properly or just put a "." or "/" in the box. I mean do they think I'm blind? Some of those cheater names are noted and I just basically delete all their entries every time they do it (which is pretty much always. Wonder what they'd think if they knew that).I also don't enter as many giveaways as I used to and only for books I really want to read. I still love them though because often it's the only way I have a shot at getting certain ARCs, signed books or other goodies because I don't live in the US.That said, I sometimes do wonder how much money other bloggers spend on giveaways. I see some who sign up for pretty much all the hops and I wonder how they can finance that o.O Besides, I don't want to do giveaways just to get pageviews/followers, I want to share books that I think are awesome with other readers.So yeah. I understand that you want to host less giveaways. I think some readers who aren't bloggers don't give enough thought of the cost (in time and money) that goes into them. And I'm looking forward to seeing more discussion posts from you :)

I do the same thing and delete all entries for a person who has either duplicated their entries or has submitted entries for tasks they haven't completed. Don't they know that cheaters never prosper?

I think I may have been addicted to giveaway hops. I did tend to sign up for a ton of them last year, but I slacked off toward the end of the year and haven't signed up for any this year. I did enjoy the pageviews and followers because of the hops, but that's not my main reason for doing them. I just genuinely like to share books with like-minded individuals. I like to think that it's generous to do so, but it seems that a lot of people feel entitled to these giveaways and have little regard for what goes into hosting them.

And thanks. I plan on plenty more discussions, though maybe not as polarizing as this topic. :)

I try my best to stop by a blog and say something now and then. I love giveaways and I do enter a lot of them. I admit I used to enter just about every giveaway I ran across but now I only enter those that I know I want to read. I am guilty of having a twitter account for giveaways. I interact with other people on there only once in a while. Facebook is more of my thing.

I just want to say it is very generous of you and other bloggers to do giveaways. I love reading and I have considered blogging too but it's a lot of hard work. I'm just a reader and I have a hard enough time visiting all of the blogs that I follow. I don't know how bloggers can blog and take time to visit other blogs.

Thank you for your comment. Blogging IS a lot of work and takes up a lot of time, but most of the time, it's worth it. ;0)

I'm glad you're taking the time to only enter the giveaways for books you're really excited about. We were all probably guilty of entering too many giveaways in the beginning, myself included, but you learn what your happy medium is after awhile. I understand that Twitter isn't for everyone -- I'm still a bit of a novice myself -- but I do hope you'll spend more time interacting with others there, too. It can be really fun and leads to alot of bookish discussions. I've met people on there that I've developed great friendships with, and we now email a ton, too.

Wow $400?? I knew you had a lot of giveaways last year, but wow! I used to enter A LOT of giveaways, and ended up with some books I wasn't that interested in and still haven't read, like you said above. Now I only enter the ones that have books I'm really interested in. And I also stopped following so many blogs and just stayed subscribed to the ones I actually like reading, yours included. However, I always feel weird commenting on blogs because I never really know what to say, and I feel like it will just be odd or something. Same thing goes for twitter. I mostly use it when I enter giveaways, mainly because I don't think anybody will really care if/when I actually post anything "real," for lack of a better word. As with commenting on blogs, I think I'm just too shy to just jump into a conversation with someone, no matter how long I've been a follower. I think this year I'll aim for being more interactive online. :)

I'm someone who found your blog through a giveaway and have stuck around since. I think it's been almost a year. I don't always comment, or comment at all, but I do always make it a point to read any email that comes into my inbox.

I still enter lots of contests. One day last year I had over 100 tweets because I was trying to win books/giftcards to fund my reading habit. All the tweets were from my own account and none of them were to stuff the rafflecopter box.

Don't despair. Change the rules on the rafflecopter or get rid of it entirely and do it the way you'd like. After all, I can't win all the books no matter how much I'd like to.

Pretty much. This hit me earlier last year and I drastically reduced my giveaways. I also stopped--for the most part--offering them out of my own pocket except for our end of the year bash and random hops I join.

One thing I did is quit putting that they were giveaways in the blog title. So no XYZ + giveaway. That cut WAY down on the drive by giveaway entries. I wanted people who actually visited the blog on a regular basis to win something. Not people who copied and pasted the same entry on 20 giveaways or didn't bother to read the post.

What gripes me the most is the people who win that do NOT say thank you. OMG. If I do win something somewhere I let them know how excited I am and that I appreciate it. Just really frustrating when people stop showing common courtesy.

I also moved to e-book giveaways and started using my Amazon wishlist to watch for price drops. You can purchase the books as gifts and send them to yourself and then forward those at any point in the future. So I buy a lot on 99cent sale and then use them later on. Save a TON that way. Can do 3 or 4 giveaways for the price of one at the original cost.

Really good post.To be honest I don't read every post on every blog I follow and I'm not much of a commenter. And now I forgot what point I wanted to make. But 400 dollars is a lot of money and I agree that it is not worth it if you're not getting anything in return

We had this discussion at our blog too. We tend to do fewer giveaways throughout the year personally and depend on tour or author sponsored ones. I do once a quarter ones that come out of my pocket and my blogging partner does too. Most of our giveaway entries are strictly based on commenting.

As to visiting blogs and entering giveaways? I still do that because I get excited about books I see at other blogs. I try to get around to all the blogs I like at least once a week if not more. I do enjoy your discussions here. Sounds like you have a good plan to reduce costs and engender true followers.

Because I've never hosted a giveaway, I don't have a whole lot to add to this conversation. I want to do something in April when my blog turns one, though. I do enter giveaways sometimes because I like winning stuff, but I won't enter every single one on a hop--only those whose books I actually want--and I always follow. I can understand how this can be extremely annoying when people enter the giveaways you host, but never actually take the time to read your posts (and they are missing out). That is a lot of money! Great post! It's definitely food for thought.

I love books so I love entering contests but only for books I'm really interested in and want to read and then I like to review them, if my sis hasn't snatched it to read first ;) I've messed up on an entry before and felt bad and didn't want them thinking I was trying to cheat so I emailed them about my mistake and then felt better and I'm sure they appreciated it to.

I haven't gotten into the twitter world yet but I've just started some others like bloglovin but I'm not good with that kind of stuff so I usually just comment on blogger posts when I can. You bloggers are awesome and I find so many great books to add to my wishlist and I love guest author posts. Thanks for your hard work and awesomeness! :D

This is a great post! I have only hosted a few giveaways but I can say the thing that bothered me the most was the people who don't eve read any other posts of mine. It also always upset me when people would say they did something (i.e. follow me via) and when I would go to check the entries they clearly did not do it. It takes a lot of time on top of money to make sure the person who wins deserves it.

I also hate those people who create giveaway Twitters. The purpose of that is to spread it to other people who would want to enter/follow the blog, not share it with the 10 spam accounts that follow you.

On top of ALL this I have to say I had a "big" giveaway after i got home from Comic-Con and the person who won had a blog with a small following. I followed up on her blog and she did a stacking the shelves type of post where she included the books she won from me. I got really excited over a possible small shout out and she wrote that SHE DIDN'T REMEBER WHERE SHE WON THE BOOKS. Can you be any lazier?! I honestly have not done any "big" giveaways since that because people make me sad.